NC 2 Nephi 8:6 reads,
"For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread and the whole stay of water, the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, and t he cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them."
On my LDS mission, there was a young autistic man in the branch named Casey. He was very high functioning. He lived on his own. He would have us come over every Tuesday and we would read the book of Mormon to him.
When we came to these complicated Nephi/Isaiah chapters and stumbled upon these words, Casey stopped us and asked, quite seriously, "When it says 'babes shall rule over them', is it talking about women or children?"
It was almost too much to bear, but we managed to hold our laughter in behind ear-to-ear smiles.
Well...
We've learned that to "rule" really only means to teach. Any "ruler" sent by Christ is sent to kneel, serve and elevate others by teaching correct principles. So, if I understand this correctly, the young will teach the elderly? What kind of twisted place is this end of times world that the elderly have to be taught by the young? Doesn't age bring wisdom? What gives?
My wife found this in OC Job 11:2 the other day and shared it with me:
"I am young and you are very old; wherefore I was afraid and dared not show you my opinion. I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding. Great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgment."
Hm.
If things are somewhat of a mirror, or chiasm, the beginning reflecting the end, then I suppose there is room for Enoch's insecurities to play out again. When the Lord called him at the green age of 65 (I mean, there were 600, 700, 800 year olds running around) he asked the Lord, "Why is it that I have found favor in your sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me for I am slow of speech; wherefore, am I your servant?" (OC Gen. 4:2)
Why indeed, Enoch.
Enoch's story is really quite interesting. He was ordained to the Holy Order before both his father and grandfather, and was blessed before his father, and his father ordained before his father (Timeline of the Fathers). I have to wonder if these two generations were not saved by the ministry of their youth.
It sheds more light on the passage from NC Acts 1:9. Notice the direction in which the gifts flow:
"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said unto them, You men of Judea, and all that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you and listen to my words; for these are not drunk as you suppose, seeing it is the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, And it shall come to pass in the last days, declares God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy, and I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Interesting things to consider. Can truth really come from any source God chooses? Are the elderly too wise to be taught?
"For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread and the whole stay of water, the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, and t he cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them."
On my LDS mission, there was a young autistic man in the branch named Casey. He was very high functioning. He lived on his own. He would have us come over every Tuesday and we would read the book of Mormon to him.
When we came to these complicated Nephi/Isaiah chapters and stumbled upon these words, Casey stopped us and asked, quite seriously, "When it says 'babes shall rule over them', is it talking about women or children?"
It was almost too much to bear, but we managed to hold our laughter in behind ear-to-ear smiles.
Well...
We've learned that to "rule" really only means to teach. Any "ruler" sent by Christ is sent to kneel, serve and elevate others by teaching correct principles. So, if I understand this correctly, the young will teach the elderly? What kind of twisted place is this end of times world that the elderly have to be taught by the young? Doesn't age bring wisdom? What gives?
My wife found this in OC Job 11:2 the other day and shared it with me:
"I am young and you are very old; wherefore I was afraid and dared not show you my opinion. I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding. Great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgment."
Hm.
If things are somewhat of a mirror, or chiasm, the beginning reflecting the end, then I suppose there is room for Enoch's insecurities to play out again. When the Lord called him at the green age of 65 (I mean, there were 600, 700, 800 year olds running around) he asked the Lord, "Why is it that I have found favor in your sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me for I am slow of speech; wherefore, am I your servant?" (OC Gen. 4:2)
Why indeed, Enoch.
Enoch's story is really quite interesting. He was ordained to the Holy Order before both his father and grandfather, and was blessed before his father, and his father ordained before his father (Timeline of the Fathers). I have to wonder if these two generations were not saved by the ministry of their youth.
It sheds more light on the passage from NC Acts 1:9. Notice the direction in which the gifts flow:
"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said unto them, You men of Judea, and all that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you and listen to my words; for these are not drunk as you suppose, seeing it is the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, And it shall come to pass in the last days, declares God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit, and they shall prophesy, and I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Interesting things to consider. Can truth really come from any source God chooses? Are the elderly too wise to be taught?
